JP3718611B2 - Dance game equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a dance game apparatus that allows a player to perform a dance by guiding a step (stepping) or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a game machine housing has a monitor, and on the front side thereof, a floor board body having a plurality of step portions that can be stepped (stepping operation) is arranged, and a step position instruction that guides the step position on the monitor screen Dance that guides the step of the step corresponding to the step position indicating mark to the player at a timing when the mark is scrolled upward from the lower side and the step position indicating mark coincides with the upper stationary timing mark. Game devices are known.
[0003]
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 64-37269 has floor display means having a plurality of step positions, and the lamps stored in the floor corresponding to the respective step positions are turned on and displayed in order. A step training machine has been proposed that guides the steps. Similarly, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-68074 discloses a mat body in which a plurality of step positions are formed in a predetermined pattern and is provided at the front end of the mat body and is similar to the step position pattern. There has been proposed a health training mat that includes a guide portion formed by arranging LED lamps in a shape and guides the step position by sequentially lighting and displaying the LED lamps of the guide portion.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the above dance game device only guides the stepping pattern along the music of the selected song, and therefore the difficulty of the stepping pattern may differ greatly from what the player expects depending on the selected song. In such a case, there was a problem that the game could not be fully enjoyed.
[0005]
Similarly, conventional step-training machines are not directly related to difficulty just by practicing the steps according to the type of dance, and the health training mat also guides the steps of aerobics dance for health However, it is not directly related to difficulty. In particular, the steps performed by the step training machine and the training mat are all different in step pattern, and are different in that they are created variously like a dance game.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a game device in which a player can select a stepping pattern that is sequentially designated according to difficulty, and can provide a dance game that matches the purpose and level of the player. It is what.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A dance game device according to the present invention includes a stepped body in which stepped portions each capable of detecting a stepping motion are arranged at different positions, music data storage means for storing music data for a plurality of songs, A step pattern formed by arbitrarily arranging the respective step portion instruction data for instructing the step portion according to the progress of the music is stored for each song, and the step portion instruction data corresponds to the first difficulty. At least a first step pattern group formed by a step type and a second step pattern group formed by a step type corresponding to a higher degree of difficulty than the first difficulty. The stepping pattern storage unit, the music selection operation member that can be operated by the player to select music, and one of the first and second stepping pattern groups that can be operated by the player can be selectively designated. Select operation Members, guidance means that is a display means for image display attached to a game machine casing disposed on the front side of the stepping body for notifying a player of a stepping action, audio output means for reproducing music, In order to output the stepping pattern corresponding to the selected music to the display unit in synchronization with the reproduction of music, the stepping pattern read out from the stepping pattern storage unit is used as a stepping position instruction mark representing the corresponding stepping unit. Guidance control means for scrolling upward from the lower side of the screen toward the timing mark stationaryly displayed on the upper side of the display means, and a direction switching operation member for instructing switching of the scroll direction operable by the player; In response to an operation on the direction switching operation member, the timing mark is displayed on the opposite side of the screen in the vertical direction and the scroll direction is reversed. It is characterized in further comprising a scroll direction reversing means for causing the.
[0008]
According to this configuration, when the music selection operation is performed by the player, the stepping pattern corresponding to the selected music is notified to the guide means such as the display means for displaying an image, so the player views the guide by the guide means. However, it becomes possible to step the guided treads sequentially, and the dance game will proceed accordingly.
[0009]
Further, for example, when the difficulty selection operation member is operated by the player prior to the selection of music, the second step pattern including the first step pattern group having a low difficulty level or a step pattern having a higher degree of difficulty than the step pattern of the first step pattern group. Any one of the tread pattern groups can be selected. The player selects a difficulty level desired for other reasons according to his / her dance level, so that, for example, a dance game is performed at steps matching the player's level. A music selection operation can be performed by a music selection operation member from a plurality of songs prepared for the step pattern group selected by operating the difficulty selection operation member. Or the aspect which performs difficulty selection after selecting music may be sufficient. The songs included in the step pattern group of each difficulty level may be different from each other, or may be an interesting aspect in which all or part of the same song is included and only the difficulty level of the step is different.
[0010]
Further, since a future step position and timing can be predicted, a smooth dance step can be provided to the player. Furthermore, the player only needs to gaze near the stationary mark, and it is not necessary to move the line of sight unnecessarily, and a smooth dance step can be provided. Moreover, the display position of the stationary mark can be adjusted as much as possible in accordance with the height of the player, that is, in front of the player's face.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 2 is an overall external view of a dance game apparatus to which the present invention is applied. This game apparatus (or this game system) is comprised from the audio | voice image output main body 1 and the floorboard body 10 arrange | positioned in front of it.
[0012]
The audio image output main body 1 has a casing portion 2 for outputting rhythm sound, a monitor 3 at the top thereof, a pointing unit 4 provided on a panel surface at the bottom of the monitor 3, and a monitor 3 on its both sides. A columnar body 5 on which electric lamps 51 and the like are arranged, and a speaker 6 for music performance (reproduction) disposed on the top of each columnar body 5. In addition, a coin insertion slot 7 is prepared at the center position in the left-right direction of the housing portion 2 and two are arranged on the left and right in consideration of a two-player mode.
[0013]
The structure of the housing | casing part 2 is demonstrated using FIG. 3 which is FIG. 2 and partial sectional drawing. A resonance box 2a is disposed in the middle of the casing portion 2 in the height direction. A rhythm speaker 2c for low frequency with the horn 2d facing forward is attached to the approximate center of the front plate 2b of the resonance box 2a. A cylinder 2e that sends resonance sound forward is disposed in an upper portion of the front plate 2b. The speaker 2c emits a rhythm sound at a predetermined low frequency. By using the resonance space behind the speaker 2c, the cylinder 2e and the front plate 2b are vibrated and radiated in the direction of the front floorboard body 10. Yes. This rhythm speaker 2c emits the rhythm of the output music with heavy bass. A blinking annular fluorescent tube 2f is disposed on the front plate 2b on the front side of the front plate 2b. The fluorescent tube 2f is attached to a cylindrical fluorescent tube support member 2h attached so as to surround the front end of the horn 2d of the front plate 2b. The fluorescent tube 2f is a long tube having an intermediate portion formed in an annular shape and both end portions 2g formed in parallel. In FIG. 3, the both end portions 2g are positioned at the lower end. A power supply line (not shown) is connected to both ends so that it can blink.
[0014]
The monitor 3 is attached to a height at which the center or the upper part of the display surface 31 is located at approximately the same height as the eyes of a player having a standard height located on the floor board body 10, and an instruction is given to the lower part thereof. Part 4 is arranged. As described later, the instruction unit 4 displays a list of selectable music names on the display surface 31 of the monitor 3 at the start of the game, so that a desired music can be selected from the list. For example, three types of step patterns corresponding to are displayed, and are used to select a step pattern having a desired difficulty level. That is, the instructing unit 4 selects the select button 4a for moving the cursor forward and backward with respect to the song name list and the step pattern type displayed on the display surface 31, and the decision button 4b for confirming the selection of the song name and the step pattern type. With. The instruction unit 4 is provided with a select button 4a and a determination button 4b on the left and right, respectively, which allows the player to select either the left or right position when playing alone, and which player on either side when playing two players. However, this is to make it possible to perform a song and difficulty selection operation. Note that the music title selection may employ a method in which a transparent tablet using a piezoelectric material is placed on the display surface 31 and the music displayed at the pressed position is specified by pressing with a finger of a player or the like. Is possible. The select button 4a may be a direction indicating operation member such as a joystick.
[0015]
The speaker 6 outputs the prelude and music (only the performance or singing voice) of the selected song. Note that the speaker 6 may also perform rhythm output, which will be described later, in combination with music performance.
[0016]
Next, the structure of the floorboard body 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the floor board surface body 10 has a required bulk and is formed in a flat plate shape. In the plan view, the board surface portion 11 divided into 3 × 3 squares in front, rear, left, and right is 2 in the left and right. They are arranged side by side. The left and right board surface portions 11 have the same structure. The outer frame body 15 houses the board surface portion 11 in the fitted state on the left and right sides, and a storage space extending in the front-rear (longitudinal) direction is formed inside the left and right side frame portions. A lamp 17 (see FIG. 4) as an effect member covered with a transparent acrylic plate 16 is incorporated, and similarly, two effect members are provided in the front-rear direction of the frame portion at the center portion of the outer frame 15. A storage part is formed. 4A and 4B show the structure of the production member and its storage part, where FIG. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. As shown in the figure, in each storage section, for example, two pairs of lamps 17 are arranged in total by four mounting brackets 171, and each pair of lamps 17 faces the indicator brackets outward on both sides. And are connected in parallel to the same feeder 18. A plug 19 is connected to each tip of the two power supply lines 18 from each pair. The lamps and power supply lines in the other storage units have the same shape. The plug 19 is connectable to an outlet portion 2A formed on the side surface of the housing portion 2.
[0017]
The mounting positions of the two pairs of lamps 17 are a left-right position facing the front row (side of the casing unit 2) in the 3 × 3 squares and a left-right position facing the center row in the front-rear direction. When the lamp 17 is lit, irregular reflection is caused by the paint applied to the surface of the translucent acrylic plate 16 placed on the upper surface of the lamp 17, and light is emitted in the color of the paint. The two pairs of lamp positions in the front row and the two pairs of lamp positions in the immediately following row use different colors of coating agent, so that each color emits light so as to enhance the production effect. Yes. The lighting control will be described later.
[0018]
The board surface portion 11 is obliquely forward with respect to the home position portion 12 corresponding to, for example, the center cell marked with a large star among the nine cells, as viewed from the four cells in the front / rear and left / right positions and the home position 12. The step 13 (13F, 13B, 13R, 13L, 13FR, 13FL), which is a total of six squares in the two squares at the left and right positions, has an arrow indicating the direction seen from the central square, For example, a small star is shown as a mark indicating that the stepping position is not indicated on the auxiliary base part 14 which is the two squares obliquely rearward when viewed from the position part 12. An inverted U-shaped member upright on the front side of the floor board 10 in FIG. 1 is a handrail 30. The shape of the handrail 30 may be a T-shape or the like.
[0019]
FIG. 5 is a development view showing an example of the internal structure of the step 13 of the floor board 10. The step parts 13F to 13FL all have the same structure, and here, the step part 13F will be described as an example.
[0020]
The floor board 10 is divided into square-shaped squares on the inner side of a rectangular outer frame 10a by a partition plate 10b. The step 13F has a bottom plate 20 at the bottom of the inner space surrounded by the outer frame 10a and the partition plate 10b, and a rectangular inner frame 21 that is smaller than the outer frame is erected on the upper portion. The corner members 22 are firmly fixed to the four corners so as to support the inner frame 21 between the outer frame 10a and the partition plate 10b across the adjacent frames. With such a basic support structure, a strength capable of supporting the weight of the player from above is secured.
[0021]
A gap having a required width is formed between the inner frame 21 and the outer frame 10a and the partition plate 10b, and a flat plate is laid in the region of the rectangular frame formed by the gap, although not visible in the figure. On the upper surface of each flat plate, a cable switch 23 serving as a stepping motion detection means, which will be described later, is arranged in a direction parallel to each side and having a length substantially equal to each side. The corner member 22 is mounted at a height at which a gap into which the cable switch 23 can be inserted is formed between the corner member 22 and the above-mentioned flat plate that cannot be seen. 22 is located below.
[0022]
An L-shaped load receiving member 24 is disposed on the upper surface of the cable switch 23 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction with the upright portion 24a. The load receiving member 24 is set to a length of, for example, about 1/2 to 1/3 of the long dimension of the cable switch 23. By providing the load receiving member 24, even when the weight of the player is applied to the entire surface of the cable switch 23 and the load per unit area is reduced, the load is concentrated on the area of the load receiving member 24 in plan view. By adding, it is possible to apply an appropriate load in relation to detection sensitivity.
[0023]
Thickness that is slightly lower than the height of the load receiving member 24 when no load is applied to the upper surface of the corner member 22 or substantially equal in consideration of the bending of the top plate 25 described later. A height adjusting plate member 22a having a. The height of the upper surface of the height adjusting member 22a is set to a position lower than the height of the upper ends of the outer frame 10a and the partition plate 10b by the thickness of the top plate 25 described later.
[0024]
The top plate 25 as a panel made of an acrylic plate or the like is placed on the height adjusting plate material 22a. On the top plate 25, an arrow mark 25a indicating the front is described in a color different from the surroundings.
[0025]
When the player steps on the top plate 25 with his / her foot from above, the load at that time is transmitted to the cable switch 23 via the load receiving member 24.
[0026]
Note that the auxiliary base part 14 is sufficient if the dance floor surface having the required width can be secured by making the auxiliary base part 14 flush with the step base part 13, so that it is not necessary to provide a means for detecting the presence or absence of a load. A structure including the inner frame 21 and the corner member 22 and capable of supporting the top plate 25 on at least the upper surface may be employed. As the top plate support structure, other structures, for example, a structure corresponding to the inner frame 21 in the inner space, or a structure in which a frame body having a large number of vertical and horizontal ridges is arranged upright and the top plate is placed thereon, The inner space may be filled with a filler, and a top plate may be placed on the top.
[0027]
FIG. 6 is a structural diagram illustrating an example of the cable switch 23. The cable switch 23 includes a cylindrical outer skin portion 230, a relay conductive portion 231, a first conductive portion 232, and a second conductive portion 233 disposed inside the tube.
[0028]
The outer skin portion 230 is made of an elastic material such as silicon, and the cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical portion has a flat circular shape. The outer skin portion 230 is substantially directed from one of the inner walls at the intermediate position in the major axis direction of the cross section toward the opposing inner wall. Projection pieces 230a extending to the center of the cross section of the cylinder are projected, and notches 230b are formed at both ends of the long axis direction of the cross section to promote bending in the direction of further squashing the flat shape. The upper outer surface is provided with two protruding portions 230c extending in the longitudinal direction as portions for receiving a load.
[0029]
The relay conductive portion 231 has a long sheet shape mainly composed of a rubber material such as silicon mixed with conductive metal powder, for example, and the upper side in the flat tube of the outer skin portion 230. It is arranged. The first and second conductive portions 232 and 233 have the same structure, and are disposed at a predetermined interval on the left and right sides of the projecting piece 230a on the lower side of the flat tube of the outer skin portion 230. ing. These first and second conductive portions 232 and 233 are mainly composed of a rubber material such as silicon mixed with conductive metal powder, and the cross-sectional shape is formed into a flat circle from the viewpoint of stability. This is a long rod-shaped body.
[0030]
The first and second conductive parts 232 and 233 are arranged at positions corresponding to the protrusions 230c, and the outer skin part 230 is deformed by receiving a load on the protrusions 230c. Each of the relay conductive portions 231 is effectively contacted or abutted. Core materials 232a and 233a made of copper as a conductive material are embedded in the first and second conductors 232 and 233, so that strength can be ensured and the unit length resistance in the longitudinal direction can be reduced, That is, the output of the detection voltage can be detected as a substantially constant value regardless of the position where the load is received, and high detection accuracy is ensured. Since the distance between the relay conductor 231 and the first and second conductors 232 and 233 can be designed to be extremely small as 1 to 2 millimeters, for example, compared to a mechanical switch having a movable contact piece. The stroke can be made sufficiently small.
[0031]
If the player's foot steps on the top plate 25 and the load is transmitted to at least one of the four cable switches 23 arranged on the four sides due to the structure of the step 13, the cable switch 23. The upper portion of the outer skin portion 230 is deformed by receiving a load on the lower side, and the relay conductor 231 is in contact with both the first and second conductors 232 and 233 (changes from OFF to ON) to detect the stepping. Will be.
[0032]
In other words, the presence or absence of load by the cable switch 23 is applied to both the first conductor 232 and the core members 232a and 233a of the second conductor 233 via a terminal (not shown) (one side may be grounded). In the state where no load is applied, since the first and second conductors 232 and 233 are both electrically separated from the relay terminal 231 because they are separated from each other, the applied voltage is not shown. Detected by the voltage detection unit (stepping motion monitoring unit 112 in FIG. 1 described later), on the other hand, even if a load is applied and the first and second conductors 232 and 233 are in contact with the relay terminal 231 at any position, As a result of the electrical short between the first and second conductors 132 and 133, the voltage detector detects that there is no voltage difference.
[0033]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a dance game apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
[0034]
A control unit 100 composed of a computer or the like is disposed at an appropriate place inside the audio image output main body 1. The control unit 100 performs overall processing of operation control of the game apparatus.
[0035]
The control unit 100 includes a built-in or detachable cartridge type ROM 101 that stores data such as game programs, and a RAM 102 that temporarily stores and saves processing data. The recording medium for storing the game program may be a CD-ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, or the like.
[0036]
The song name selection unit 103 receives the instruction signal from the instruction unit 4 and executes a corresponding song name selection process. The performance data memory 104 stores the music data for each song name, that is, the performance data of each song corresponding to the song name, and the performance data of the designated song in response to the selection signal from the song name selection unit 103 is stored. The signals are output to the speaker 6 in series.
[0037]
The stepping pattern memory 105 has stepping position instruction data consisting of a set of data corresponding to a rhythm such as the number of beats (for example, 4 beats or 8 beats) according to the image of the music, or random or changeable, interesting It is arranged in an appropriate order in consideration of the nature and is stored along the progress of the length of one song, and is prepared for each of a plurality of stored songs. Further, the step pattern memory 105 has a set of set data composed of step position instruction data and beat positions corresponding to the output timing (relative time positions of the respective step position instruction data within one set data period). As tread pattern data is constructed and stored.
[0038]
FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the one set data, and ranks G1, G2, and G3 are arranged in accordance with the difficulty level (rank G3 is the highest difficulty level).
[0039]
FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C show the types of stepping patterns of one set data used according to the difficulty level. FIG. 8A shows rank G3, and k types are prepared. That is, in the rank G3, a step pattern is created using all of the six step base portions 13 (13F, 13B, 13R, 13L, 13FR, 13FL). The rank G2 is a pattern in which a step pattern is created using four step base portions 13 (13F, 13B, 13R, 13L). The rank G1 is a pattern in which a step pattern is created using three step base portions 13 (13B, 13FR, 13FL). Similarly, as shown in (a), n types are prepared for the rank G2, and m types are prepared for the rank G1. The difficulty level is not limited to 3 ranks, but may be 2 ranks or 4 ranks or more. In the present embodiment, the difficulty level is set by the number of steps 13 (that is, the number of types). However, as another aspect, the number is the same and the level of difficulty depends on which step portion (namely, type) is adopted. You may make it make a difference.
[0040]
FIG. 7B shows a memory map of the performance data of each song and the step pattern data stored in the step pattern memory 105 corresponding to the performance data, and is stored for each difficulty. Rank R1 is a step pattern created by combining each set of data in rank G1, and rank R2 is a step pattern created by combining each set of data in rank G2. Rank R3 is a stepping pattern created by combining each set of data in rank G3. Each rank R1, R2, R3 stores a step pattern corresponding to a plurality of songs as a group. Note that the songs included in each of the ranks R1, R2, and R3 may be all different songs, or conversely, may be all the same song, and only the stepping pattern may be given difficulty. Or the same music may overlap about a part of music, and only the step pattern may differ, ie, it may have difficulty. Also, from the point of matching the rhythm of the song, for example, it is not necessary that all four beats have the same interval, for example, the first two beats are short and the second two beats are set appropriately so that the latter two are slow. ing. Then, after selecting and specifying one of the ranks R1, R2, and R3 by the difficulty selection operation member 41 (selecting the stepping pattern group), the song name selection unit 103 selects the song.
[0041]
The deviation amount detection / accumulation unit 106 measures the correlation between the stepping operation instruction timing and the timing when the actual stepping operation is performed, for example, the deviation amount of both timings, in this embodiment, the timing deviation between the two by the internal timer 106a. The integrated deviation amount for the step position instruction data for one set data is obtained. The evaluation unit 107 replaces the accumulated deviation amount with a score and further accumulates for one piece of music, and displays it on the display surface 31 at the end of the game as an evaluation of the player's followability to the step position guide.
[0042]
The dance image memory 108 stores a dance image displayed on the display surface 31 of the monitor 3 for each minute corresponding to one set data, for example, and is a table for storing a dance image corresponding to a song name or corresponding to a rhythm. have. The dance image setting unit 109 sequentially reads out dance images for one set data from the dance image memory 108. In addition, the dance image may be previously provided for each song as one song unit instead of one set unit.
[0043]
The mark memory 111 has six addresses, and step position indication marks M1 to M6 (same as the marks 13F, 13B, 13R, 13L, 13FR, and 13FL) corresponding to the addresses are stored as image data. Has been.
[0044]
The scroll display control unit 110 sequentially reads out the step position pattern corresponding to the selected song from the step pattern memory 105 based on the timing information, and causes the scroll display control unit 110 to perform scroll display as the step position indication mark M on the display surface 31 of the monitor 3. Is for. The step position indication data (data designating the address of the mark memory 111) read from the step pattern memory 105 is replaced with a step position indication mark M which is image data in the mark memory 111. Further, the scroll display control unit 110 sequentially causes the reading timing to be shifted at predetermined time intervals so as to shift the output time point of the step position indication mark M from the mark memory 111, and causes the display memory 3a to be written as a scroll image. In this way, the step position indication marks that are scrolled in a manner superimposed on the non-scrolled dance image are also sequentially transferred to the display memory 3a, and the content of the display memory 3a is reduced to 1/60 by known display scanning means. While being repeatedly read and displayed at a cycle such as second, the step position indication mark M is scroll-displayed on the display surface 31 on the display surface 31 and a dance image is displayed as a moving image as a background image. In addition, a predetermined address is provided in the mark memory 111, and a static mark S for instructing the stepping operation timing is also stored in the address so as to be readable from the scroll display control unit 110.
[0045]
Here, an example of the game screen will be described. FIG. 9 shows a difficulty selection screen, and FIGS. 10 to 12 exemplify scenes in the middle of each game when ranks R1 to R3 are selected. When the game is started, the difficulty selection screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. In this screen, a planar image of a floor board body simulating the step platform used in accordance with the ranks R1 to R3 is displayed, and the used step platform (step pattern type) is distinguishable from other step platforms. For example, they are displayed in different colors. An image indicating rank R1 is displayed on the left, an image indicating rank R2 is displayed in the center, and an image indicating rank R3 is displayed on the right side. The selection of the rank R can be performed by appropriately operating the left and right select buttons 4a of each instructing unit 4. For example, the rank being selected is increased in brightness, blinked, or the like as compared with images of other ranks. To make it identifiable. The figure shows that rank R3 is being selected, and selection of rank R3 is confirmed by operating determination button 4b in this state.
[0046]
FIG. 10 shows a screen in the middle of the game when rank R1 is selected. Still marks SFL, SB, and SFR are displayed in this order in a horizontal line at a predetermined position above the display surface 31, and the step position indication mark M corresponds. A state of scrolling upward on the same line as the stationary mark S to be displayed is displayed. In the figure, as the step position indication mark MB, one that has been scrolled to near the stepping timing and one that is about to appear from the lower end are displayed, and the step position indication marks MFL and MFR are substantially in the middle of the screen at the same timing. A state where the position is scrolled upward is shown.
[0047]
FIG. 11 shows a screen in the middle of the game when rank R2 is selected. Still marks SL, SB, SF, SR are displayed horizontally in a predetermined position on the display surface 31 in this order, and a stepping position instruction is given from below. The mark is scrolled toward the information. In the figure, the step position indication marks MB, ML, and MF are displayed in this order from the side closer to the step timing.
[0048]
FIG. 12 is a screen in the middle of the game when rank R2 is selected, and all the still marks SL, SFL, SB, SF, SFR, SR are displayed horizontally in a predetermined position on the display surface 31 in this order. The step position indication mark is scroll-displayed toward the information from below. In the figure, the stepping timing MF is displayed.
[0049]
10-12, the state where the step position instruction mark M that has been scrolled upward overlaps (coincides with) the stationary mark S indicates the step timing. When the stepping action is performed at the timing when the mark M overlaps the stationary mark S, the display brightness or display color of the stationary mark S is temporarily changed to notify that it is appropriate. 10 to 12 show the game screens for one player. In the case of a two-player game, similar screens are displayed separately on the left and right of the display screen 31 of the monitor 3, respectively. Yes.
[0050]
Here, a general concept of scroll display control of the step position instruction mark M by the scroll display control unit 110 will be described. When the count value corresponding to the length of time required for one set of step position indication marks to be scrolled is N, the one set data position of the step position indication mark M located at the count value P is one set. If it is 1, it will be (P / N). If one set is displayed on the display surface 31 with a length of h dots, the step position indication mark M is located at the position of h × (P / N) dots from the top of one set on the screen. Will be placed. On the other hand, since the count value N corresponds to h dots, the step position indication mark M scrolls by (h / N) dots when one count elapses (timed by the counter 120). Now, on the screen, if the head of one set overlaps the stationary mark S for timing instruction (time t = 0), the tread position indicating mark M after the elapse of T count from the position of the stationary mark S. It is displayed at the position of (h × (P / N) −T × (h / N)) dots. When viewed from the top of the screen, it is the position of (m + h × (P / N) −T × (h / N)) dots (m is the number of dots from the edge of the screen to the stationary mark S). .
[0051]
The scroll display control unit 110 outputs the step position indication mark M corresponding to the mark memory 111 from the timing data of each step position indication mark M and the calculated position data (corresponding to the address of the display memory), and also calculates the calculated display memory. The writing position of the display memory 3a is instructed by the address 3a, and the step position indicating mark M read from the mark memory 111 is written.
[0052]
In addition to outputting the calculation result as it is, the scroll display control unit 110 subtracts the calculation result from the value h, that is, the writing position in the display memory 3a is reversed with respect to the vertical direction, and with time. Thus, a direction processing unit 110a is provided for making the writing direction reverse to the above and turning the scroll direction from the upper side to the lower side (scroll direction reversal processing). Whether or not to cause the direction processing unit 110a to function is executed by interrupt processing by alternately switching each time the operation member 42 for switching the scroll direction, for example, the determination button 4b is operated. The position of the stationary mark S on the display memory 3a is set in advance, and the display position of the stationary mark S becomes the upper predetermined position or the lower predetermined position in conjunction with the switching of the scroll direction. In this way, it can be switched by changing the display address.
[0053]
FIG. 13 is a screen in which an operation instruction to reverse the scroll direction is performed on the screen shown in FIG. 12, the still mark S is displayed at the bottom, and the step position instruction mark MF is changed to a position based on the calculation. Is displayed.
[0054]
In addition to the start of the game, switching of the scroll direction is permitted by interruption even during the game. The initial state is preferably set on one side. Thus, by switching the scroll direction, the display height position of the stationary mark S on the display surface 31 can be changed between the upper side and the lower side, so that, for example, a tall person is stationary depending on the height of the player. The mark S is displayed on the upper side (scrolling direction upward), and a short person can display the stationary mark S on the lower side (scrolling direction downward) so that the stationary mark S can be placed at the height of the player's eyes. I try to match as much as possible.
[0055]
The stepping motion monitoring unit 112 detects whether or not the cable switch 23 disposed on the stepping unit 13 has changed from OFF to ON. The stepping motion monitoring unit 112 processes the turn-on time point of the first turn-on of the four in each stepping step unit 13 as detection data, and detects the turn-on of the cable switch 23 for each stepping step unit 13 so as to be identifiable. Is. In order to confirm the stepping position of each player for the two-player mode, a detection operation is enabled for each board surface portion 11.
[0056]
The lamp lighting control unit 113 uses the detection signal from the stepping motion monitoring unit 112 to generate and output a lighting signal for individually lighting and displaying the lamps 17 provided corresponding to the stepping unit 13 in pairs. It is.
[0057]
FIG. 14 shows an example of a circuit block diagram of the lamp lighting control unit 113. FIG. 14 is a block diagram for explaining the operation control of the two pairs of lamps 17. The control board 113 a monitors the ON signal from the cable switch 23, the signal line connecting the floor base body 10 and the housing 2, and the stepping motion monitoring. The switch 113b (in this embodiment, a total of four switches provided for one person) corresponding to the detected step 13 is input during the stepping operation or only for a predetermined time. An ON signal is output. The switch 113b conducts the power supply circuit by an ON signal, and supplies driving power from the power supply 113c to the two pairs of lamps 17 connected in parallel via the outlet 2A and the power supply line 18 so as to be lit. . When the step 13 is stepped on at two places simultaneously, the corresponding two lamps 17 are turned on. Further, in the present embodiment, since the lamp 18 is disposed only at the left and right positions of the board surface part 11, there is no lamp corresponding to the step parts 13F and 13B, but when the step part 13F is stepped on, When the front left and right lamps are turned on and the step 13B is stepped on, the lamps on both the left and right sides are turned on so that all the step positions can be lit. Can do.
[0058]
Next, the game operation of this game apparatus will be described using the flowchart of FIG.
[0059]
FIG. 15 shows a main flowchart of the game operation. First, a coin inserted into the coin insertion slot 71 is detected by the coin insertion unit 7 (step ST1). When coin insertion is detected, the screen is switched to the difficulty selection screen (step ST3), where the rank R is selected using the select button 4a and the decision button 4b of the instruction unit 4 (step ST5). When the selection of rank R is completed, the screen is switched to the song name selection screen (step ST7). On this screen, for example, song names included in the selected rank R are displayed in a list vertically and horizontally, and a desired song is selected from them using the select button 4a and the decision button 4b of the instruction unit 4 (step ST9). The music title selection unit 103 reads performance data corresponding to the selected music title from the performance data memory 104, temporarily stores it in the RAM 102, and outputs it to the speaker 6 (step ST11). When the intro performance is started, the stepping pattern corresponding to the selected song is read from the stepping pattern memory 105 one set data in synchronization with the progress of the song, and scrolled on the display surface 31 to detect the deviation amount / Monitoring processing by the integrating unit 107 is performed (step ST13).
[0060]
Next, it is determined whether or not the game has ended, that is, whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the game started, whether or not the performance of the selected song has ended, or whether or not the predetermined dance evaluation is maintained above a certain level. A determination is made (step ST15). If the dance is not finished, the process returns to step ST13. When it is determined that the game is over, the evaluation result of the player's dance, which is the final content of the evaluation unit 107, is displayed on the display surface 31 (step ST17), and is notified to the player.
[0061]
The present invention can adopt other modes.
(1) There are various arrangements of the stepped portion that is the stepping position, and the auxiliary stepped portion 14 in the rearward and leftward / rightward directions may be adopted as the stepped portion, and / or the central home position portion 12 may also be a stepped portion. Similarly, all positions on the floor surface may be set as the target of the step position instruction. Or you may arrange | position a required number of step parts around the home position part 12 cyclically | annularly. Further, the mark is not limited to an arrow, and may be a character, a symbol, or the like, and a mark that is the same as or corresponds to the mark marked on the step platform 13 may be adopted. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the two-player game device shown in the embodiment, but can be similarly applied to a single-player, that is, a type of dance game device having one board portion 11.
(2) In the present embodiment, a stepping operation instruction is given to the footrest unit based on the performance of the song, but the present invention does not necessarily require the performance of the song. In addition to a mode in which scroll display is performed from the guide means, a stepping operation instruction and notification may be performed using light, sound or voice as a medium.
(3) In this embodiment, a lamp (lighting means) that can be connected to the outlet 2A on the outer surface of the housing 2 is used as one of the effect members related to the game. It is not limited to, but may be sound, voice (sound effect), or the like. In this way, the effect member driven by turning on and off the drive power supply inside the main body via the outlet 2A can be detachably connected to the housing 2, so that no special circuit portion or the like is required on the effect member side. Therefore, various effect members can be easily connected (in exchange), and can be arranged at a required position, and versatility as an effect member can be increased. Further, such a configuration is not limited to the present dance game device, but can be applied to various game devices, and it is possible to connect effect members suitable for the type and purpose of the game to be applied. The contents of the performance are not limited to those that are linked to the stepping action, but those that are linked to the instruction of the stepping position, those that are related to the music that is played (played), and that are effective according to the evaluation results after the game ends. You may make it make it perform light emission. Each control may be performed by supplying drive power that is turned on and off via the connector 2A of the housing 2 from the place where these signals are generated.
(5) The direction of scroll display is not limited to up and down. In the case of the left and right, there is an advantage that the stationary mark S can be displayed on the dominant side of the player.
(6) Further, in the present embodiment, a description has been given in which a plurality of songs are stored in advance in the apparatus main body and corresponding stepping pattern data is stored for each song, but the present invention can also be applied to other modes. is there. In other words, a medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) on which music is stored can be loaded into the apparatus, music is taken in (received) from this CD, and stepping pattern data that best matches the tempo and rhythm of the music is obtained. You may make it select automatically or manually. In this case, the difficulty rank may be manually selected first, and the optimum rank may be automatically selected from the selected ranks, for example.
[0062]
Further, a step pattern formed by arbitrarily arranging music data storage means capable of capturing music data for at least one piece of music and each step part instruction data for instructing the step part according to the progress of the song Songs and corresponding stepping patterns can be distributed by data communication from an original data storage unit (server) equipped with a stepping pattern storage unit storing each piece of music, and the music and stepping patterns received by the receiving unit are guided You may employ | adopt the structure which alert | reports to a means. In this case, if the music registered in the original data storage unit is MIDI data, a sound processing unit (synthesizer) for converting the audio data into a sound processing unit (synthesizer) is provided in front of the speaker. What is necessary is just to interpose.
[0063]
Further, in an aspect in which the original data storage unit stores only the music signal as MIDI data, this type of music (standard karaoke music) is the song name associated with the song number, the song title attribute information, and the timing. In addition to the data, it is performance information (hereinafter referred to as music data) as MIDI data. Since the MIDI data is composed of data relating to the frequency, strength, length, and tone color of the sound at each timing, it can be reproduced by sound in the sound processing unit. On the other hand, if step pattern data is created and registered in advance corresponding to all or part of the songs distributed to the step pattern memory 105, the corresponding step pattern data is searched with reference to the distributed song numbers. Extraction is possible by using means or the like. In this case, if the step pattern data is prepared for the same song for each rank, it is possible to select the step pattern corresponding to the rank even for the same song.
[0064]
Further, in a mode in which the step pattern corresponding to the step pattern memory 105 is not registered in advance, the step pattern data may be automatically created by the step pattern creating means from the distributed song number and the song attribute data. For example, a plurality of one set data is allocated for each rank and each genre of music shown in FIG. 7A, and is associated with storage addresses and prepared in the form of a table in advance, and the distributed music numbers And by generating a numerical value (corresponding to the storage address of one set data prepared in plural) based on the attribute data of the music and selecting a table that matches the type such as genre from a plurality of tables, The stepping pattern included in the genre is determined for each set data from the random number value, and is determined as a so-called sequence data until the end of one song, in a batch method, or for one set or a required number of sets. Just go. The random process is preferably a process having reproducibility so that the step pattern of the same table is always selected for the same music. Therefore, in detail, numerical values associated with the selected song are sequentially output according to a predetermined rule (conditional expression or the like) including at least the above-described song name and further adding attribute data as necessary. In this aspect, a step pattern table is further prepared for each rank, and a restriction is added so that the step pattern data is automatically created for the table corresponding to the rank selected by the player. do it.
[0065]
According to the present invention, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the stepping pattern storage means is a third stepping pedal constituted by a type of stepping portion corresponding to a higher degree of difficulty than the second difficulty. A pattern group is provided, and the difficulty selection operation member can selectively designate one of the first to third step pattern groups.
[0066]
According to this configuration, since a step pattern group having a general medium difficulty can be set between a low difficulty level and a high difficulty level, a general player can fully enjoy a dance game.
[0067]
In the above, the difficulty levels of the first to third stepping pattern groups are set according to the number of types of stepping portions. According to this configuration, different difficulty levels can be realized with simple settings. It becomes possible.
[0068]
Further, the stepping body is provided with stepping portions at six places, the first stepping pattern group is formed by stepping portions for predetermined three places, and the second stepping pattern group is set at predetermined four places. The third step pattern group is formed of all six steps, and according to this configuration, it is possible to effectively realize low difficulty, medium difficulty and high difficulty. It becomes possible.
[0069]
Further, the stepping body is formed in a 3 × 3 grid shape, and the stepping portions are disposed at a total of six positions of the front and rear, right and left, and diagonally forward grid portions, and the first stepping pattern group is diagonal. If the second stepping pattern group is formed of front, left and right stepping parts, and the second stepping pattern group is formed of front, back, left and right stepping parts, the stepping pattern group is completely different in type and has a difference in difficulty. Is feasible.
[0070]
Further, the guide means is a display means for displaying an image attached to a game machine casing disposed on the front side of the stepping body, and the guide control means is read from the stepping pattern storage means. As a step position indication mark indicating the step portion corresponding to the step pattern, a future step position can be obtained by scrolling from the other side of the screen toward the timing mark stationaryly displayed on one side of the display means. Since the timing can be predicted, it is possible to provide a smooth dance step to the player.
[0071]
Further, according to the configuration, the display means has one side on the upper side and the other side on the lower side, and the guidance control unit performs the scroll display from the lower side to the upper side. Since the position indication mark is scrolled, the player only needs to gaze at the vicinity of the stationary mark, and it is not necessary to move the line-of-sight direction in an irregular manner, thereby providing a smooth dance step.
[0072]
In addition, a direction switching operation member for instructing switching of the scroll direction that can be operated by the player, and a timing mark is displayed on the opposite side in the vertical direction of the screen in response to an operation on the direction switching operation member, and the scroll direction is reversed. According to the configuration provided with the scroll direction reversing means for moving in the direction, the display position of the stationary mark can be adjusted as much as possible in accordance with the height of the player, that is, in front of the player's face.
[0073]
In addition, the game device includes a rendering unit that is connectable to a connector provided in the game machine housing and that performs a performance operation related to a dance game by receiving power supply from a driving power source inside the game machine housing. The machine housing includes an effect signal generating unit for generating an effect signal for producing a dance game, a switch interposed between the drive power supply and the connector, and a switch for turning on and off the supply of the drive power according to the effect signal; It is good also as a structure provided with. According to this configuration, it is possible to arrange a production unit that can perform a production operation only by turning on and off the power supply at an appropriate location outside the housing, and it is easy to replace the production unit, etc. It is possible to realize the production effect.
[0074]
In the above, the effect means is a light emitting means disposed around the stepping body corresponding to the number of the stepped portions, and the switch is provided corresponding to the light emitting means. The signal generation unit generates an effect signal for the corresponding light emitting unit from the detection signal from the stepping unit, and outputs it as an ON signal to the switch corresponding to the light emitting unit. It is possible to produce with effects.
[0075]
And, according to the configuration provided with the evaluation means for evaluating the stepping action from the correlation between the timing of the stepping pattern and the detection timing of the stepping action, the dance play is evaluated according to the difficulty. A dance game can be provided.
[0076]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a desired difficulty level can be selected in accordance with the player dance level or for a reason such as challenging a higher level of difficulty, and a game rich in versatility and interest can be provided. Further, since a future step position and timing can be predicted, a smooth dance step can be provided to the player. According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the player only needs to gaze near the stationary mark, and there is no need to move the line of sight unnecessarily, and a smooth dance step can be provided. Moreover, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the display position of the stationary mark can be adjusted as much as possible in accordance with the height of the player, that is, on the front face of the player's face.
[0077]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, a general (level) player can fully enjoy a dance game.
[0078]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, different difficulty levels can be realized with simple settings.
[0079]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to effectively realize a low difficulty level, a medium difficulty level, and a high difficulty level.
[0080]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a tread pattern group having completely different types and having a difference in difficulty.
[0081]
According to the invention of claim 6, it becomes possible to arrange an effect part that can perform an effect operation only by turning on and off the power supply at an appropriate place outside the housing, and it becomes easy to replace the effect part, It is also possible to realize a required type of effect. In addition, according to the invention described in claim 7, it is possible to produce an effect with an electric decoration effect.
[0082]
According to the eighth aspect of the invention, since the dance play is evaluated according to the difficulty, an interesting dance game can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a dance game apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is an overall external view of a dance game apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a structure of a housing part.
4A and 4B are diagrams showing the configuration of the rendering means, where FIG. 4A is a plan view, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA.
FIG. 5 is a development view showing an internal structure of a step part of a floor board surface body.
FIG. 6 is a structural diagram illustrating an example of a cable switch.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining a step pattern, in which FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining the configuration of one set data, and FIG. 7B is a performance pattern of each song and correspondingly stored in a step pattern memory; It is a figure which shows the memory map of the tread pattern data which exists.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a stepping pattern of one set data used according to the degree of difficulty, where (a) shows a lamp G3, (b) shows a rank G2, and (c) shows a rank G1.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a difficulty selection screen.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a scene of a screen in the middle of a game when rank R1 is selected.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a scene of a screen in the middle of a game when rank R2 is selected.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a scene of a screen in the middle of a game when rank R3 is selected.
13 is a diagram showing a screen on which an operation instruction for reversing the scroll direction is made on the screen shown in FIG.
FIG. 14 shows an example of a circuit block diagram of a lamp lighting control unit.
FIG. 15 is a main flowchart for explaining a game operation.
[Explanation of symbols]
1. Audio / video output body (game console housing)
2 Case
2A outlet
2a box
2c Rhythm speaker
2f fluorescent tube
3 Monitor
31 Display surface
4 indicator
5 Columnar body
51 Illuminated lamp
6 Speaker
7 Coin slot
10 Floor board (stepping body)
11 Board part
13FL, 13F, 13FR, 13B, 13R, 13L
100 Control unit
103 Song selection section
104 Performance data memory
105 Stepping pattern memory
107 Rhythm setting section
108 Dance image memory
109 Dance image setting section
110 Scroll display controller
110a Direction processing unit
111 mark memory
112 Stepping motion monitoring unit
113 Lamp lighting control unit
113a Control board
113b switch
113c power supply
16 Production members
17 Lamp
M Stepping position indication mark
S stationary mark

Claims (8)

A stepping body in which stepping parts each capable of detecting stepping movements are arranged at different positions;
Music data storage means for storing music data for a plurality of songs;
A step pattern formed by arbitrarily arranging the respective step portion instruction data for instructing the step portion according to the progress of the music is stored for each song , and the step portion instruction data corresponds to the first difficulty. At least a first step pattern group formed by a step type and a second step pattern group formed by a step type corresponding to a higher degree of difficulty than the first difficulty. A tread pattern storage unit,
A music selection operation member that is operated by a player and selects music;
A difficulty selection operation member capable of selectively designating one of the first and second stepping pattern groups made operable by the player;
Guidance means which is a display means for displaying an image attached to a game machine casing disposed on the front side of the stepping body , which informs the player of the stepping action;
Audio output means for playing music;
In order to output the stepping pattern corresponding to the selected music to the display unit in synchronization with the reproduction of music, the stepping pattern read out from the stepping pattern storage unit is used as a stepping position instruction mark representing the corresponding stepping unit. Guidance control means for scroll-displaying upward from the lower side of the screen toward the timing mark statically displayed on the upper side of the display means;
A direction switching operation member for instructing switching of a scroll direction operable by the player;
A dance game apparatus comprising scroll direction inversion means for receiving a timing mark on the opposite side in the vertical direction of the screen in response to an operation on the direction switching operation member and causing the scroll direction to be reversed . The step pattern storage means includes a third step pattern group composed of types of step portions corresponding to a difficulty higher than the second difficulty, and the difficulty selection operation member includes first to third steps. dance game apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol mounting, characterized in that it is capable of selectively specify one pattern group. The dance game device according to claim 2, wherein the difficulty levels of the first to third step pattern groups are set according to the number of types of step portions. The stepping body is provided with stepping portions at six locations, the first stepping pattern group is formed by stepping portions for predetermined three locations, and the second stepping pattern group is for predetermined four locations. 4. The dance game device according to claim 3 , wherein the dance game device is formed by stepping portions, and the third stepping pattern group is formed by all six stepping portions. The stepped body is formed in a 3 × 3 grid shape, and the stepped portions are disposed at a total of six positions of the front and rear, right and left, and diagonally forward grid portions, and the first step pattern group is formed diagonally forward. 5. The dance game apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the dance game device is formed of left and right and rear step portions, and the second step pattern group is formed of front, rear, left and right step portions. A game unit housing that is connectable to a connector provided in the game machine housing and that receives a power supply from a drive power source inside the game machine housing to perform a performance operation related to a dance game; The body includes an effect signal generation unit that generates an effect signal for producing a dance game, and a switch that is interposed between the drive power supply and the connector and that is configured to turn on and off the supply of the drive power according to the effect signal. The dance game device according to claim 1 . The effect means is a light emitting means arranged around the tread corresponding to the number of the stepping portions, and the switch is provided corresponding to the light emitting means, and the effect signal generating portion 7. The dance game according to claim 6 , wherein a production signal for the corresponding light emitting means is generated from a detection signal from the stepping portion and is output as an ON signal to a switch corresponding to the light emitting means. apparatus. Dance game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a evaluating means for evaluating a stepping motion from the correlation between the detection timing of a stepping motion and timing of the stepping pattern.

Images